Jamie Oliver, Food Revolutionary
You may know that Jamie Oliver has a show coming out on March 26 called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution aimed at getting Americans to improve their diets, thereby improving their health. What you may not know is that Oliver was awarded the TED Prize (Technology, Entertainment,Design) for 2010. What is TED, you ask? It's non-profit organization that brings together the world's brightest thinkers and doers to exchange ideas, with the ultimate goal of making the world a better place. Learn more here.
Here are some things about Jamie Oliver that I didn't know. I have to say, even the jaded cynic in me is impressed (from the TED website):
- 12 television series, seen in 130 countries
- 10 cookbooks, translated into 29 languages, and sold almost 24 million copies in 56 countries
- His School Dinners/Feed Me Better campaign pressured the UK government to invest $1 billion to overhaul school lunches
- Founded the Fifteen Foundation, a social enterprise and chef apprenticeship for 18-24 year olds. Based in London, it has been replicated through franchising in Amsterdam, Cornwall and Melbourne
Suddenly, I am feeling a little inadequate.
Will you be tuning in to watch Jamie's show? Do you think this boisterous Brit has what it takes to cure America of its dietary woes?
--StellaCadente*
Follow me on Twitter@pomodorista
Lisa on March 09, 2010 at 09:38 PM
Love Jamie Oliver. He's prob. one of my faves along with Guy Fieri who is hosting this cool-looking new show on NBC. It's called Minute to Win it--you can check it out here: http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it/ and here: http://www.facebook.com/minutetowinit?ref=ts
Baconista on March 10, 2010 at 08:27 AM
If you feel inspired by Jamie's campaign, he has created an online petition, promoting healthy food for children, that he will present to the White House. You can find the petition here:
http://www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com/petition. Pass it along!
TruDat on March 10, 2010 at 09:53 AM
His shows are enjoyable and I applaud his charitable works, but he isn't much of a chef and his cookbooks are utter crap. The pictures and stories look great, but the actual recipes are clearly thrown together with little or no testing.
Lisa - If you REALLY want to talk about a complete culinary waste of space, there is Guy Fieri, utterly talentless, a complete douchebag, and more annoying than Rachel Ray.
Guy Fieri makes Jamie Oliver look like Paul Bocuse.
Seriously? on March 10, 2010 at 11:54 AM
TruDat -- I'm sorry, which restaurant do you own and operate? How many cookbooks have you produced? Been nominated for any Beard Foundations awards? None, none and no? Thought so. Before you start critiquing some of the celebrity chefs in the world, you might want to consider that your electric cooktop doesn't produce anything in the same realm of guys like Jamie.
The only thing more annoying than Rachel Ray are armchair chefs that think they have culinary chops but practice at home for themselves so people don't have to eat their overcooked fish, burned tenderloin and over-salted soups.
Cindy Wambeam on March 10, 2010 at 11:58 AM
You know, I used to roll my eyes at Jamie Oliver back when he was The Naked Chef, but his last series was really wonderful. It showed quite early on Saturday mornings, so most people missed it -- Jamie at Home. I drooled over his kitchen, with its cutting board counter tops and gadgets hanging everywhere. . . not to mention the outdoor kitchen with its wood-burning fireplace in the middle of the gardens. . . :)
I have actually incorporated several of his techniques and tips into my cooking, and they work really well. It's interesting to see how much he's changed since the early days -- he's really taken on a social cause. I'll probably at least tune in to the new show, to see if it's my cup of tea.
StellaCadente* on March 11, 2010 at 11:06 AM
I have to say I am pretty down on TV chefs, with a few exceptions. I only caught the Naked Chef a couple times on TV, several years ago, not enough to be "pro" or "anti" Jamie. But I have to give him credit for his accomplishments. Most notably, overhauling the UK school lunch system. His heart is in a good place, and that counts for a lot with me.
Craig on March 11, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Jamie has certainly, um, plumped up in recent years. Hard to lecture everyone else about healthy eating when it doesn't appear that you follow your own advice. I think he should stick to cooking and stuff the sermons.
Paul A'Barge on March 11, 2010 at 12:26 PM
"Do you think this boisterous Brit has what it takes to cure America of its dietary woes?"
Sigh. Who is going to cure the Brits of their dietary woes? Might it not be up to Americans to cure their own culture's dietary woes? And for that matter, what dietary woes are you talking about? Do you mean the inordinate amount of Italian food consumed in America? The proliferation of Pizza restaurants? How about the large number of Indian restaurants? Chinese and Vietnamese and Thai and ... well, perhaps you get my drift.
The American diet is a crazy tile mosaic and Americans eat the way they grow their language ... with little regard for nationalistic identity and with a palate hungry for whatever everyone else in the world is eating.
How else to explain the popularity of TV shows on the Travel Channel hosted by Andrew Zimemern and Tony Bourdain.
Good grief, woman. What on earth are you talking about? Since you appear to have pretty much a terminal case of anti-American-itis, would it really be too much to ask you to just leave?
And for good measure, please take a look at the opening picture in the video of Oliver you've posted. Hint: the guy is overweight. Now what kind of example is that?
Paul A'Barge on March 11, 2010 at 12:29 PM
By the way, down on TV chefs are you? I certainly hope that does not include Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Giada De Laurentis, Julia Child, the Barefoot Contessa, and .... well. Maybe you get the point.
juan on March 11, 2010 at 03:52 PM
I remember Naked Chef. The director seemed to be deeply in love with the cook and insisted on shoving the camera into each and every bodily orifice that he could find. After a check for nose hair and ear wigs I had to leave.
Bill the Cat on March 11, 2010 at 04:05 PM
Yea - I can see his act going over real big in the barrio, the ghetto and the trailer park. Show the audience at the speech.
Dan on March 11, 2010 at 05:03 PM
Dead God, leave me alone
NC Mountain Girl on March 11, 2010 at 05:35 PM
I watched the Naked Chef & found that while Oliver is masterful at self promotion his recipes weren't all that appealing.
BTW, I never overcook fish & I haven’t burned a piece of flesh in my life unless I was doing a Cajun blackening. My roast bear hits the table at proper temperature too, less it tallow on the plate. My pantry ranges from asafetida to za'atar & my vegan friends give the ethnic dinners I make to give them a little variety rave reviews. I also grow many of the vegetables & almost all the herbs I use.
Paul in NJ on March 12, 2010 at 04:30 AM
It's also worthy of mention that Jamie is a huge proponent of using natural - and organic - ingredients. And in addition to badgering the UK government to provide healthier school lunches (which was rather successful), he's also undertaken a campaign in the UK to persuade people not to buy chickens that aren't raised in proper conditions.
Like him or not, he's pretty passionate about his food and the ingredients he uses.
Gunga on March 12, 2010 at 04:50 AM
It has been my observation over many years of living here that Americans are quite fond of self-promoting foreigners engaging in overwrought campaigns to save them from themselves. His show should be quite successful. I wish him well.
chimney liners on March 12, 2010 at 06:44 AM
Interesting read. I will have to bookmark it for later.
Cicciolina on March 12, 2010 at 08:24 AM
Paul I have seen your recent comments to this article and others....you must constantly wake up on the wrong side of the bed take a chill pill pal.
Cicciolina on March 12, 2010 at 08:25 AM
Oh - and my comment above is directed to Paul A'Barge - not Pual in NJ.n
MW on March 12, 2010 at 10:27 PM
Paul A'Barge (that name is ridiculous, you should look into getting it legally changed), my oh my but are you an enigma, and a wordsmith too. Let me guess, a) you're a republican b) you have a blog that nobody reads c) you have way too much time on your hands d) you're wearing a red white and blue polyester pantsuit? Close? I noticed you leaving your piles of crap on this blog among a few others...
Wake up call Paul, nobody gets your "drifts". Why? Because your points are stupid. Little regard for national identity? This is a FOOD blog you moron, and using it as a platform to vomit out politicizing diatribes is both inappropriate and pathetic .
To clarify what "American dietary woes" implies, one only need to their homework, which time and time again, you don't seem to do. We are one of the fattest nations on the planet. Why, because Americans eat too much, and the wrong things. Ding Dongs, Big Macs, soda pop. Does it really matter WHO tries to remedy this issue, whether they come from England, America, or elsewhere? The health epidemic is largely related to what we eat, I embrace any help we can get in overcoming this issue, and I hope a psychiatrist helps you in overcoming all of yours.
Paul A'Barge on March 13, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Mw: "Little regard for national identity? This is a FOOD blog you moron, and using it as a platform to vomit out politicizing diatribes is both inappropriate and pathetic ..."
Hm, interesting. This is the closing statement from Ms Cadente's blog entry:
"Do you think this boisterous Brit has what it takes to cure America of its dietary woes?"
"national identity"
"politicizing diatribes"
"inappropriate and pathetic"
Pot. Meet kettle.